Page 39 of North (The Moral Compass 2)

“So…”

“Xander Forde,” I spit out.

“What? That’s his name? Your biological father is Xander Forde?” he asks me, his eyes wide like saucers.

“Yeah, that’s what I said, and why do you look like you know him or know something?”

“Erm… I need to think, Kara. I need to work out how I can deliver this to you. Is Xander definitely still in prison?” he asks hurriedly, as if this is really unwelcome news.

“I don’t know. As far as I know, he is. I haven’t heard anything from him in years, but he should have a year left, I think,” I reply honestly. I really don’t know anything much more than his name.

I look at him as he gets up and starts pacing. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and puts his phone to his ear.

“You better come back,” is all he says, and he ends the call. He must have called West, but why?

“Why have you just called West? This is my business, North. No one else’s. I don’t want the entire world to know that my biological father is a bloody criminal. I was quite happy with the romantic version of my life, thank you very much.” I am so angry with him right now.

I grab his phone and point it at him. “Call him back now and tell him not to come. I don’t want you discussing my life with anyone but me. Go on, ring him. Ring him now!” I’m waving the phone in front of him when he grabs it out of my hand.

He squints at me and then says, “No!”

That’s it. No! He puts his phone back in his pocket and walks away from me. I flap my arms like a fledgling bird. What the hell is going on? Why has he just given me a death stare and walked away as if I’ve just killed his pet hamster?

Who the hell is “my dad” Xander Forde, and why has it sent him off into this strange black mood all of a sudden?

I watch North from across the room as he rubs his hand through his hair and then down his scruff. He looks more nervous than I have ever seen him. He’s pacing back and forth, but every time I get remotely close to him, he moves across the room again.

It feels like he doesn’t even want me anywhere near him. A sick feeling hits me in my stomach. Has this just changed everything between us?

“Hey, what the hell is wrong with you? Why have you gone all fucking weird on me?” I ask softly, trying to get him to look at me.

“Just leave it, Kara. I need to talk to West,” he snaps back, not even looking at me.

“No, I won’t leave it, North. Why are you behaving like this?”

“For fuck’s sake, Kara, just shut the fuck up until West gets here, will you? I need to think, and I can’t do that whilst you’re flapping your lips at me!” he yells at me. He is still pacing and rubbing his face.

I start to panic. North has never yelled at me like that.

The elevator pings, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe I’ll get some answers for this mad switch in personality.

“I knew you two were up to something.” West laughs as he walks back in. He takes a seat in one of the armchairs and then notices North pacing. “Oh shit. What’s going on?”

North takes a seat on the sofa opposite West. Then, he lifts his eyes to me and nods for me to sit next to him. I do what he asks, but part of me is pissed off, and the other part is scared shitless. What the fuck is going on?

West waves his hands in a “come on, then” motion.

North takes a deep breath. “I think we might have the answer to some of our questions, but it also causesmeone hell of a problem.”

West looks on expectantly whilst I still sit here like an idiot.

“Kara here has just told me who her biological father is. And it’s good news in some respect because I now have a solid suspect for who has been ordering the hits on Stella and Ralph, but it causes me a huge headache.”

“Who?” West asks.

“Xander Forde,” I interrupt North before he starts rambling his cryptic shit.

West leans back in the chair. He, too, runs his hand through his hair and down his face.

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